NICIAS

ON the death of Pericles the rich and powerful men of
Athens exerted themselves to place Nicias at the head
of the government, feeling convinced that he would be
the best person to keep Cleon, an insolent, daring
politician, in check. Cleon was in high favor with the
common people, who liked his off-hand, familiar way of
addressing them, and he had won the good will of some
of the poorest of them by liberal presents. Nicias was
favored by them because he always treated them with due
consideration. This being the case, he was likely to
prove an offset to Cleon. But he had one serious fault
for a statesman, and that was excessive timidity,
which often prompted him to shirk responsibility and
remain in retirement instead of taking a decided stand.
In one sense this weakness was a drawback to Nicias,
but it rendered him popular, because no one felt awed
in his presence.

Nicias was noted for his piety, and made offerings of
the most costly character to the gods. This he was
enabled to do because he was a very wealthy man, being
the owner of some rich silver-mines. Once a handsome
slave of his represented the god Bacchus at a religious
ceremony, and the audience applauded him loudly.
Thereupon Nicias rose and said, "I should think it
impious to keep a slave whom the public voice seems to
consecrate to a god; I therefore give him his freedom."

It was the custom for the principal cities of Greece to
send a
[121] select band of musicians to Delos every year to sing
praises to Apollo. The procession was called Theoria,
and it was considered a great honor to have the
management of it. When the musicians landed, the people
of the island would flock to the shore and press them
to sing, so that they were forced to do so even while
putting on their robes and garlands, and otherwise
preparing for the ceremony. In order to prevent the
disorder which this caused, Nicias, when taking charge
of the Theoria, landed first on the isle of Rhenia, in
the Ægean Sea (now called Sdili), with the choir, the
victims for the sacrifices, and all the other necessary
matters. Then during the night he had a bridge, which
he had brought from Athens, thrown across the narrow
channel to Delos. This bridge was gayly decorated and
hung with garlands and tapestry; at break of day he
marched over it at the head of the choir, who, dressed
in the costliest of robes, sang hymns to the gods as
they moved decorously along. After the sacrifices,
games, and feasts were over, Nicias consecrated a
palm-tree of brass and a large open field to Apollo,
and arranged that the interest on the sum of money he
paid for the field should be used in purchasing
sacrifices, and that the Delians should always pray for
the blessings of the god on himself as the founder.

Nicias was so sensitive about what people might say of
him that he kept aloof as much as possible. He would
never attend parties of pleasure, nor would he stop to
converse with anybody in the street. When he was
Archon, he was the first to enter the court and the
last to leave, and if he had no public business on
hand, he would shut himself up at home and refuse to
see any one. If persons came to his gate and demanded
to see him, his friend Hiero, who was brought up in his
house, would go out and say that he was occupied with
important public affairs, and had no time for repose or
pleasure. Whether this was true or not, it had its
effect; the people honored a man who was so occupied
for their welfare, and did nothing to prevent his
advancement to glory.

Nicias possessed great military talent, and when he
took command of the army he proved this by making it
his study to do nothing rash. For this reason he was
generally successful, and though the Athenians met with
many misfortunes in those times, Nicias was not to
blame for them. He won some very important
[122] victories, and gained a large amount of territory, but
once, when at war with the Lacedæmonians, he prolonged
a siege until his soldiers lost all patience. Then
Cleon undertook it, and within the time he had fixed
for victory came back with all the Spartan soldiers who
had not fallen in the field as captives. This threw
some disgrace on Nicias, and made Cleon more arrogant
than ever, but when Cleon was killed in battle some
time afterwards, Nicias worked so hard to bring about a
peace between the Lacedæmonians and Athenians that he
became famous. Then nothing was talked of but Nicias,
who was said to be beloved of the gods on account of
his great piety. It was decided that the
long-wished-for blessing should bear his name, and so
the peace agreed to for fifty years was called the
"Nician Peace."

All Athens rejoiced at the return of peace, but it was
not to be enjoyed very long, for it was soon broken by
those who wanted to be always engaged in war.
Alcibiades was the principal of the war party, because
he was not willing to form an alliance with the
Lacedæmonians, being angry with them for having once
treated him with neglect. So, taking advantage of
Nicias's absence when he was sent on a public errand to
Sparta, he had himself appointed general, and then did
not rest until the war broke out again.

When Nicias returned, he and Alcibiades kept up such a
constant quarrelling that it was proposed to banish one
of them by ostracism, which process we have already
explained. The younger men, who were for war, wanted
Nicias banished, while the older ones, who had learned
the value of peace, desired to get rid of the warlike
Alcibiades.

While this matter was under discussion, one Hyperbolus,
a wicked wretch, who hoped to gain influence with one
of the generals as soon as the other should be
removed, went about Athens secretly abusing both,
because it made little difference to him which got the
number of votes that were necessary for banishment.
Nicias and Alcibiades heard of the man's doings, so
they had a private interview, and agreed to work
together to turn the ostracism against him instead of
themselves. This was a punishment that had fallen on
some of the greatest patriots, such as Thucydides and
Aristides, but it was a great deal too easy for a
creature who deserved the gibbet, and no one was more
surprised than
Hy- [123] perbolus himself when he found that his name was to
appear among those of good and honest men. He was the
last person ever banished by ostracism; Hipparchus had
been the first.

Then Alcibiades persuaded the Athenians to join other
Greek nations and undertake the Sicilian expedition,
and this was considered very important, because he
told them it would open the way to Carthage and to all
Africa. Such a glorious picture did he paint of the
victories that awaited them that very few, either of
the commons or the nobility, openly sided with Nicias,
though many of the more sober-minded Athenians did so
privately.

Nicias worked for peace even after the decree for war
was passed, but he worked in vain, and he was appointed
to command with Lamachus and Alcibiades. The priests
were opposed to the expedition, but Alcibiades had his
own diviners, who promised great glory for the
Athenians in Sicily, and those who were sent to
consult the oracle of Jupiter Ammon returned with the
answer that the Athenians would surely capture the
whole Syracusan nation. It is true that there were some
unfavorable signs, but those who knew of them tried to
conceal them, not thinking it worth while to object to
an expedition that nearly all their countrymen were
determined upon. One of these unfavorable signs was
that during a certain night all the statues of Mercury
had their heads cut off. This was the more remarkable
because there was one in the gateway of each temple
and before most of the private houses in Athens.
Another bad omen was this: the golden statue of
Pallas, which had been put up to celebrate the victory
of the Athenians over the Medes, had been pecked at by
crows for several days. There were other signs that
made the cautious shake their heads when they thought
of the splendid army fitted out at so great an expense
and likely to come to grief. Socrates, the learned
philosopher, said that the expedition would prove
fatal to Greece, and he probably had reasons for his
opinion grounded on a more important basis than bad
omens; but Alcibiades and the majority of the Athenians
would listen to no objections, and so the army started.

Before anything had been accomplished, Alcibiades was
called home to stand his trial, an account of which is
given in his life. Lamachus was killed on the
battlefield shortly after, and Nicias
[124] was left to command alone. Meanwhile, he had astonished
the Syracusans by building a wall almost around their
city in a very short space of time, and when this was
done his success seemed sure, for the inhabitants began
to send messages offering terms of peace, and ceased to
show themselves outside their walls. Then if Nicias had
been active and energetic he would soon have brought
the war to a close, but he delayed until his troops
lost confidence in him.

Meanwhile, Gylippus, the Spartan commander, went to the
relief of the Syracusans with a large force, and soon
brought about such a change in the condition of affairs
that the Athenians found themselves besieged instead of
being the besiegers. Nicias became so much discouraged,
and his health was so bad, that he wrote home desiring
to be recalled. This was refused, but large
reinforcements were sent to Sicily under Demosthenes
and Eurymedon. Before they arrived, Nicias had lost a
naval battle, which proved that the Athenian fleet was
not so powerful as it had been.

Demosthenes came with fresh troops and plenty of
energy, but he too was defeated again and again, and
then preparations were made for the Athenian army to
depart secretly. But on the very night when this was to
be carried into effect there was an eclipse of the
moon, and the soothsayers said that the army must not
leave its position for three times nine days. Of course
Nicias obeyed, because he was too pious and
superstitious to do otherwise, so he gave up all
thought of war, and passed his time in prayer and
sacrifices, while the enemy took possession of the
walls and forts, and filled the harbor with their
vessels. Not only the men from the ships, but the boys
from the fishing-boats challenged the Athenians to come
and fight, and offered them every kind of insult they
could think of.

At last the Syracusans made an attack, and a furious
sea-fight took place, which resulted in the defeat of
the Athenians, who, as it was out of the question for
them to escape by sea, wanted to do so by land, but
their force was still large, and Hermocrates, the
Syracusan general, fearing that if they escaped they
might make a stand in some other part of Sicily and
renew the war, resorted to this stratagem: he sent
persons whom he could trust, bidding them to pretend
friendliness for Nicias, and to warn him not to march
in the night, because the Syracusans had laid several
ambushes for
[125] him and had seized all the passes. Nicias believed
them, and stayed where he was. The next morning the
enemy got off before he could do so, and then really
did take the passes, break down the bridges, and place
their cavalry everywhere, so that the Athenians could
scarcely advance a step without fighting. They were in
a dreadful condition, and, what was worse, they were
forced to leave their sick and wounded friends and
comrades behind them. Nicias was more to be pitied than
any one, for not only was he ill and suffering bodily,
but he had to bear the disgrace of defeat after having
hoped for honor and success. He had opposed the war
with all his might, it is true, but when fighting was
to be done, he had shown the spirit and energy of a
true hero. In spite of all difficulties, he strove hard
to conceal his sufferings from his soldiers, and during
an eight days' march, with frequent attacks by the way,
he kept his division of the army in good order until
Demosthenes was taken prisoner. Then he offered to pay
the Syracusans the whole cost of the war if they would
suffer his army to quit Sicily; but they indignantly
refused to treat with a man who had entered their
country to take possession of it.

Nicias reached the river Asinarus the next day with his
men in a state of exhaustion; for the enemy's troops
had galled them all the way. When they came to the
banks of the river, some plunged into the water to
quench their burning thirst, but they were butchered
while they drank, and a cruel scene of bloodshed
followed. At last, throwing himself at the feet of
Gylippus, Nicias spoke in heart-rending tones,
"Gylippus, let pity move you in your victory; I ask
nothing for myself; what is life to a man who has had
so many misfortunes? But for the other Athenians I ask
your mercy; you should remember that the chances of war
are uncertain, and that my countrymen treated you with
mildness and moderation when they were prosperous."

Gylippus was touched by the words and appearance of
Nicias, for he remembered that he had been friendly to
the Lacedæmonians; besides, to capture two generals
alive would be great glory; so, raising the conquered
Nicias from the ground, he bade him take courage, and
ordered the fighting to cease. Then the prisoners were
collected, and, adorning themselves and their horses
with garlands, the Syracusans returned to their city in
triumph.

[126] A general assembly was called, and it was resolved that
the Athenian servants and allies should be sold as
slaves, the freemen, and those Sicilians who had sided
with them, should be sent to work in the quarries, and
the generals should be put to death. But Hermocrates
sent a messenger to inform Demosthenes and Nicias of
what their fate was to be, and they both committed
suicide.

As for the other Athenians, many of them died of
disease and poor food in the quarries, for they were
allowed only a pint of barley and half a pint of water
a day. Those that were sold as slaves had the figure of
a horse branded on their foreheads, but they behaved so
well that they were either soon set free, or won the
love and respect of their masters, with whom they
continued to live. Several were pardoned because they
were able to recite the poems of Euripides, the
Sicilians being great admirers of his writings, and the
captives were often released from slavery merely
because they remembered and could teach something that
poet had written.

Once a ship pursued by pirates ran into the harbor of
Syracuse for protection, and was only received because
the seamen, on being questioned, were found capable of
repeating the poems of the favorite bard of the
citizens.